


Good Luck Mode

by mmmdraco



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Domestic, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-19
Updated: 2013-11-11
Packaged: 2017-11-26 01:16:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/644925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmmdraco/pseuds/mmmdraco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Anju breaks her arm, the point is made to Kotetsu that it might be good for Kaede to move in with him... Except that he's just moved in with Barnaby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The phone was ringing. Kotetsu rubbed at one eye with his fingertips, trying to gain the ability to see through the bleary cloud his vision seemed to have deteriorated into during the few hours he had actually slept. He kicked the sheet off of his feet and struggled to sit up, finally hitting the answer button on the bedroom extension and mumbling out, "What's up?"

"Mom's in the hospital." Muramasa's voice barely held a hint of the early morning hour or even enough emotion to tell Kotetsu whether he should actually be worried.

"What's wrong?" Kotetsu ran one hand through his hair and let his eyes close again, trying to focus on the sound of his brother's voice through the phone.

Muramasa yawned. "She was gathering cabbages and fell and broke her arm."

"Is she okay?" Kotetsu finally blinked his eyes open and took in the scene on the phone's view screen. "Wait, is that Kaede asleep on the bench behind you?"

"I wasn't going to leave her at the house." Muramasa frowned. "Is there any chance she can come stay with you?"

Kotetsu glanced behind him at the lump under the blankets and frowned for a moment before turning back. "Yeah, I guess she can come stay for a few days."

Muramasa shook his head. "That's not what I'm talking about. She's about to start high school and, as a NEXT, you know as well as I do that Stern Bild is going to be easier for her than any of the schools here. And since Mom is going to be having a hard time for a while, I think Kaede should move in with you."

"I..." Kotetsu let his fingers grasp tightly at the edge of the sheet. "Can you look after her for a few days? I'll do what I need to do, okay?"

"You're a Second League Hero. Is there that much you need to rearrange?" Muramasa smirked, then leaned in closer toward the phone, frowning. "Are you wearing pants?"

Kotetsu's eyebrows raised as he dragged the blanket back across his lap. "It's summer so it's hot!" He covered his mouth at the end, wincing at how loud he'd suddenly gotten. "I'll come out tomorrow to see Mom and talk to Kaede. It might be a little late, but I'll work something out."

Muramasa scratched his chin. "Just make sure you wear pants. 'Night, Kotetsu."

"Yeah, yeah. G'night." Kotetsu slapped the phone, hitting the button to end the call, then sighed as he sat in the darkness.

"What's wrong?" he heard from behind him and he turned to look, a smile dragging it's way across his face as he glimpsed Barnaby's shoulders highlighted by the moonlight.

"Mom broke her arm and Muramasa wants Kaede to move here." Kotetsu tucked his feet back under the sheets and lay back against the pillows, letting one arm reach over to grab Barnaby's shoulders and pull him close. "I had hoped to get a little more sleep tonight, but I don't think that's happening anymore."

Barnaby raised an eyebrow. "It's morning."

Kotetsu glanced at the alarm clock, the numbers illuminated, and groaned. "It isn't five o'clock yet, so it isn't morning. Anyway, as long as I'm up, I guess I'll make some coffee. Are you going to grab some more sleep?"

"Don't you want my input?" Barnaby shifted onto his side, looking at Kotetsu sharply.

Kotetsu's mouth opened to reply, but it stretched further into a yawn. He rubbed at his nose as he looked at Barnaby. "I guess that's probably a good idea, huh?"

"You're not the only one living here," Barnaby said while sitting up, the sheets sliding down his side and catching on the curve of his hip.

With a sigh, Kotetsu sat up as well and stretched his arms out in front of him. "That's the part that worries me."

"You don't want to tell her, do you?" Barnaby threw the sheet off and slid out of bed, his naked form mostly hidden in the shadows of the night.

"Do I _want_ to tell her that her dad is sleeping with the Hero she idolizes? Not particularly. But am I _going_ to tell her?" He paused. "Probably."

Barnaby grabbed his thin bathrobe from where he'd tossed it over the edge of a chair in their bedroom hours before and slid it on. "You should ask her," he said finally. "Tell her and ask her if she minds." Barnaby looped the tie of his bathrobe end over end and pulled it tight and then moved back to the nightstand, grabbing his glasses and sliding them on. "I might not like it, but if she's against it... I won't be the reason that _your_ family breaks apart any further."

"Bunny..." Kotetsu smiled as he slid on the sleep pants he'd been quick to discard the night before. "You're part of my family now, and families work things out."

"Let's go get that coffee. Though, tell me, do you want me to come out with you to talk to her?"

"Huh?" Kotetsu ran a hand along his side, rubbing at a tight muscle that complained about the way he'd slept. "I don't think the sponsors would like that very much; both of us being gone. And maybe it's better if I talk to Kaede without you there for her to fawn over. That might make her less likely to tell me her real feelings."

Barnaby hesitated in the doorway of the bedroom, his hand on the light switch for the hallway. "If you're sure..."

"Partners can't go everywhere together," Kotetsu said as he walked toward Barnaby, letting his arm circle around the younger hero. "Just this once. After this, somehow, we'll make it work. Are... are you willing to do that?"

Flicking the switch, Barnaby smirked as Kotetsu's eyes shut tightly against the light. "I think I've shown again and again that I'm willing to do things for you that I wouldn't do for anyone else. Why would this time be any different?"

"Bunny!"

"Are you ever going to call me Barnaby?" He smiled and Kotetsu pulled him close. "I'm not your pet, so you shouldn't only call me pet names."

Kotetsu leaned in and placed a soft kiss along Barnaby's neck, his nose just brushing against an errant curl. "I promise I'll call you Barnaby to Kaede. But, when it's just us, you're _my_ Bunny, aren't you?"

Barnaby drew in a deep breath. "That coffee isn't going to make itself," he muttered and pulled himself from Kotetsu's grasp, his bathrobe catching the air and billowing out behind him. Kotetsu laughed and hurried to follow.

* * *

Kotetsu thanked the man in the hay-filled pickup truck who'd driven him and his overnight bag to the house where Kaede lived with his mother. He pulled his hat low over his eyes as he walked to the door, hesitating in front of it for a long moment before knocking.

It was Kaede who answered the door hesitantly, just peeking out from behind the door before slinging it open and frowning at her father. "You're _knocking_?"

Kotetsu laughed. "Sorry. Your dad is a little useless, isn't he?"

"Well, come on in. Uncle's in the backyard finishing up the work Grandma was doing when she hurt herself." Kaede stuck out her tongue and waited for Kotetsu to come in before she shut the door behind him. "Do you want something to drink?" She leaned back against the door, looking up at him with a solemn expression.

He shook his head. "Nah. Come on. Let's go sit down so we can talk, okay?"

Kaede pushed off of the door and strode through to the living room, sitting heavily on one of the armchairs. Kotetsu sat on the couch beside her and watched her for a moment, trying to take in the minor changes that life had wrought upon her since he'd seen her last... how many months before? She focused on her hands and he did the same, smiling at the sparkly polish she'd chosen to wear. "I heard Uncle talking to you last night, so I know this is supposed to be about me moving to the city with you."

"Before that, Kaede-"

"I'm not sure I want to!" Kaede looked away from him. "Grandma's going to be recovering for a while, right? And she's going to need help with everything... I should stay here; to help her."

Sighing, Kotetsu let himself relax back against the couch, his long legs crossed awkwardly in the space between the couch and the low table. "Muramasa's here for that. Grandma's having to do extra to take care of you, and she's been happy to do it. Still, she's getting older so she needs to relax now, and heal." He leaned forward to ruffle her hair and she smacked his hand away with a glare. "You're getting older, too," he said with a grin. "I went through school as a NEXT out here, you know, and I know it's not easy. In the city, there are entire classrooms just for kids with NEXT powers. You can attend the Hero Academy if you put your mind to it... And I need to start being a proper father to you."

"Dad..." Kaede nodded suddenly. "Okay. But you have to promise that we'll both come back to see everyone more than you ever came to visit me!" 

Kotetsu held out his hands in front of him. "That was because I was one of the major heroes! I'm in the Second League now, so it'll be easier to get away."

"Will I get to see Barnaby more since the two of you are still partners?" Kaede grinned.

"That's the other thing I need to talk to you about. How do you feel about Bunny-chan, sweetie?"

Kaede rolled her eyes. "It's Barnaby, Dad. Why can't use ever use his name right?"

"Barbaby, then. How do you feel about him?" Kotetsu let his legs come back down to the floor and leaned forward, letting his hands clasp together. 

"He's my favorite hero, even if he is Second League. Why?" Kaede was smiling at Kotetsu, her eyes bright.

Kotetsu floundered for his next words for a moment, cursing his decision to sleep on the train instead of thinking through what he wanted to say. Finally, he tilted his head as he looked at his daughter. "What would you say if your old dad was dating someone?"

Kaede's face fell. "I... I don't know. Is she pretty like Mom?"

Biting his lip to keep himself from grinning at the idea of Barnaby being 'pretty', Kotetsu nodded his head very slowly. "It isn't a woman."

"But, you were married to _Mom_..."

Kotetsu shut his eyes. "It's not that simple sometimes. I found someone who makes me happy. It isn't the same as what I had with Tomoe, but I'd still call it 'love'." He opened his eyes and looked up at Kaede slowly, trying to gauge her reaction.

She was smiling softly. "Good." She laughed. "How much older than you is he?"

"What? Bunny-chan isn't-" He winced as Kaede's eyes widened.

"You're... you're _dating_ Barnaby?! But... But..." Kaede shook her head. "But he's... Which one of you is the bottom?!"

"H-how do you even know about that? What kind of perverted things are they teaching you in school out here anyway?" Kotetsu stood up and took off his hat, his fingers tracing along the rim as he walked across the living room. "Kaede... You're a good girl, aren't you?"

Kaede scowled. "You're the bottom, aren't you? Well, it's okay, I guess, as long as it's Barnaby." She kicked her feet out in front of her. "So, I guess I really will see a lot more of Barnaby when I move in, huh?"

"He and I... We... I just moved in with Barnaby at a new place in the city. It's a little closer to the office than either of us used to be. But, I can move somewhere else if you're more comfortable with that or if you need some more time... Kaede-" Kotetsu shook his head. "Please tell Dad what you're thinking."

"I think..." Kaede tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. "I think maybe I'm looking forward to moving to Stern Bild now."

"Really?" Kotetsu tossed his hat upward and caught it as he thrust his arms up in the air. "Dad is going to spoil you rotten!"

"Dad, I'm almost 14. I don't need to be spoiled." Kaede crossed her arms in front of her and scowled at him again, but the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile again. "Okay, I could maybe take a little bit of spoiling. I really am a good girl, you know."

Kotetsu sat back down again, grinning wildly. "We're going to have so much fun!" He reached out and ruffled her hair again; smoothing it down when he'd finished. "Do you want to go visit Grandma with me and explain everything?"

"She's going to be sad that I'm leaving, isn't she?" Kaede looked suddenly worried.

"She'll be happy as long as you are." Kotetsu put his hat back on. "And she'll probably be glad for the rest, too. It wasn't too long after she thought she was done with raising kids that I had to hand you off to her." He smiled at his daughter, reaching up and stroking the side of her cheek with a smirk. "I think she did a pretty good job with you, you know."

Kaede blushed. "She... Grandma didn't do too bad with Uncle either. And you..." Kaede stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, two out of three..."

Kotetsu groaned and lay back on the couch again. "Your dad is going to have to use his Hundred Power to recover from that one."

"Come on, Dad. Let's go visit Grandma." Kaede stood up, suddenly looking so much like Tomoe, and Kotetsu was struck by it as some kind of sign.

"You're really going to be okay with two dads?"

Kaede tapped a finger against her lips. "Is that how it'll be? Well, I think I can manage." She held out a hand and Kotetsu took it, even though he didn't actually let her use any of her energy to help lift him off the couch. 

"Where does Muramasa keep the keys to his van?" Kotetsu asked as they moved toward the door. "We should just steal it and bring it back later."

"You're doing no such thing!" Muramasa threw a cabbage at Kotetsu's head. "We'll _all_ go to visit." His brows furrowed. "Honestly..."

Kotetsu wrapped one arm around Kaede's shoulders and laughed, happy to find the good in the situation so easily.


	2. Chapter 2

Kotetsu tossed an old magazine in the direction of the trash can and missed. Barnaby sighed, picked up the magazine, and moved it toward the recyling bin. "She's going to be living here. If you make it too clean, she won't know that _you_ live here," Barnaby said with a grin. Kotetsu just glared at him as he picked up the throw blanket from one end of the couch and folded it haphazardly before draping it across the back of the larger half of the sectional and moved on toward the pillows, giving each one a little jerk to straighten it.

Barnaby moved over toward the walls, straightening pictures and brushing tiny specks of dust off of things while Kotetsu continued to fix imperfections only his eyes could see. "Do you think she's going to like everything?"

"Why wouldn't she? She's moving in with her two favorite Heroes!" Kotetsu looked around the living room for a moment, then nodded, hands on his hips, before heading toward the kitchen.

"Even the new furniture for her room?" Barnaby hastily followed Kotetsu.

"Why wouldn't Kaede like it?" Kotetsu moved toward the sink that he'd piled with dishes while making breakfast and began transferring items into the dishwasher. "They're nice, aren't they? You helped pick 'em out."

Barnaby rolled his eyes and moved to the other side of the dishwasher, adjusting items so they didn't touch and resorting the utensils so they were grouped by type to expedite unloading. "Yes, but I'm not a 13 year-old girl. My style is a little, well, modern compared to yours."

Kotetsu scratched his chin. "Well, I liked it just fine, too. We'll ask her, I guess, and if she hates it, then we can go exchange it or something." He grinned at Barnaby. "I'm pretty sure she'll like it, though."

"I'm going to be horrible at this," Barnaby said quietly as he added soap to the dishwasher, closing it and turning it on.

"At what?" Kotetsu grabbed a sponge and started to wipe down the countertops.

Shifting to lean against the counter, Barnaby shrugged. "Being a- a guardian? A father? My own father-figures have left a little something to be desired in the long run." He shrugged. "I don't want to accidentally undermine you with your daughter."

Kotetsu tossed the sponge back in the sink. "Do you think I'm going to work miracles here? She's my little girl and I love her, but it's been a long time since I was the one she was having to listen to, and she's a little old to blindly follow direction."

"So we're both screwed?" Barnady smiled and Kotetsu brushed a curl of blonde hair back from his cheek.

Kotetsu let his fingers trail into Barnaby's hair to curve back behind his ear, enjoying the silken feel against his fingertips. "The most important part of parenting is trust. If you really feel like you know best on something and I'm not around to ask, go with your gut. I trust you, so there's gotta be something to that, right?"

"And what if you're mistaken?" Barnaby pushed Kotetsu's cap off of his head and tossed it near the stove.

"Would you let Kaede go running off with friends to a concert on a school night?" Kotetsu said, letting his hand drop finally to Barnaby's shoulder.

"No-"

"Would you tell her to skip all of her homework and just pretend the dog ate it?" 

"We don't have a dog-"

"Would you let her get something pierced or tattooed without asking me first?"

Barnaby shoved Kotetsu back and glared at him. "Do you think I'm a moron? Of course I wouldn't do any of those things."

Kotetsu laughed and leaned against the refrigerator. "If that was a real test, you would've passed it with flying colors. I'd rather you be a little strict at first, really. She likes you enough that you can get away with that more than I can, and I think we both know that Stern Bild can be a little dangerous."

"Are you asking me to set some ground rules for your daughter?" Barnaby shook his head. "I don't think I can do this."

Kotetsu pulled Barnaby close, his brow just touching Barnaby's own. "Bunny-chan, just trust in yourself. Kaede will let us know if we're doing anything she really disapproves of, you know."

Barnaby sighed. "What is she ends up disapproving of us?"

"She's pretty accepting," Kotetsu said as he pulled back to sling his arm around Barnaby's shoulders. "Her powers came in as she was racing after me when I was on the train coming back here to quit. She didn't flinch. She was jumping through the air _faster_ than the train, and she didn't flinch." He laughed. "She was pretty cool when I told her about us, too."

"Are you certain you're not just overlooking something?"

Kotetsu shrugged. "I can't say that's not possible. But, I'm usually the one person that Kaede isn't afraid to tell when they're doing something stupid." He smiled and straightened up, letting his arm slide off of Barnaby. "Just get to know her a little. She's great."

"Hn." Barnaby picked up Kotetsu's hat from the counter. "You might be just a little biased, you know." He smiled over his shoulder as he twirled the hat on his fingers and left the room. "I'm hanging your hat up, by the way."

"Fine." Kotetsu ran his hand through his hair. He glanced at the clock and frowned, moving over to the phone and dialing his brother. When the phone clicked to indicate that someone had answered, he said before anyone could speak, "Are you coming _next_ week instead?"

"Dad, you're too impatient!" Kaede's voice was loud through the phone and Kotetsu pulled the receiver back from his ear and winced as she continued. "We just pulled onto your street. It took this long because you forgot to mention to Uncle about the bridge."

Kotetsu took a moment to think through the directions he'd given Muramasa and winced again as he realized that he had tried to send him over a bridge that had been blown to smithereens last week. "Sorry, honey. Daddy doesn't deal with much of the big stuff anymore, so I didn't even think of it. So, you'll be here-" He heard a car horn through the phone and from outside of their door. "You're here, then.'

"Got it in one. Come out and carry the heavy stuff, Dad!" Kaede laughed and hung up the phone and Kotetsu replaced the receiver and jogged through the house to the door.

"They're here!" he yelled to Barnaby and then noticed the other man already standing at the door. "Oh."

Barnaby smiled. "I guess she gets her strong lungs from you." He opened the door and led the way outside. Kotetsu raced out past him. 

"Dad!" Kaede raced over with her arms outstretched. With a loud laugh, Kotetsu grabbed her and spun her around in a circle. She squealed and he put her down. She pursed her lips. "Dad, you're never going to be cool, are you?"

Barnaby smiled and walked closer and held out one hand. "Hello, Kaede."

She blushed suddenly and smoothed down her hair with one hand as she held out her hand and shook Barnaby's hand. "Hello, Barnaby."

Snorting, Kotetsu leaned down to stare at Kaede at eye level. "He's pretty much family now and you shake his hand? This is your excuse to get a hug from your favorite Hero!" He turned back to Barnaby. "And, you! A handshake. If you're gonna shake anyone's hand, shake his." He gestured toward Muramasa with his thumb.

Muramasa stared at them for a short moment over the stack of boxes already in his grasp. "That can wait until everything in the van is unpacked." He looked at Kotetsu sharply. "Show me where Kaede's room is and I'll put these in there."

Kaede jumped into the air with a grin. "I want to see, too!" She followed close at Kotetsu's heels as he led them through the house.

Shutting his eyes tightly, and then peeking out from one as he opened the door wide, Kotetsu said, "Here it is. Wh- what do you think?"

She was silent for long enough that Kotetsu's shoulders started to sag in defeat, but then she turned to him and threw herself against his chest. "It's perfect."

"You like the furniture? The pink walls aren't too much? I wasn't sure about those curtains..."

Kaede rolled her eyes and moved out of the way for Muramasa to move the boxes into the room. "Every time you start to be cool, you ruin it for yourself, Dad. Learn how to quit while you're ahead!"

"Heroes don't quit!" Kotetsu struck a pose.

Muramasa walked back out of the room. "If you have the energy for this, you have the energy to get boxes out of my van. I have deliveries to make in the morning, you know."

"Eh?!" Kaede pointed down the hallway where a faint blue glow was visible from behind a giant moving stack of boxes. "B- Barnaby?"

It took some maneuvering, but Barnaby managed to get all of the boxes into Kaede's room without dropping them. "I think that's all of it," he said with a hint of a smile. "Of course you should check, but I don't recall seeing anything else that wasn't alcohol-related."

"You used your powers just to bring my things in?" Kaede smiled. "Thank you. Oh! But what if something happens?"

"We only need an hour between uses of the Hundred Power. By the time a call could come through and we could get suited up and over there, an hour would have passed already."

Kaede nodded at the explanation, then turned to Muramasa. "Uncle, you said you'd shake his hand once all of the boxes were inside."

"So I did," Muramasa said and held out his hand toward Barnaby.

Barnaby grasped Muramasa's hand carefully and shook it with restraint, still glowing slightly. "I applaud you for putting up with Kotetsu for so long."

Muramasa grinned. "Hey, I'll put up with him from a distance. You can deal with where he leaves his toenail clippings."

Shrugging one shoulder, Barnaby said, "I don't see a problem with throwing them in the bathroom trash can."

"You _have_ changed," Muramasa said and nudged Kotetsu's foot with his own.

Kaede nodded solemnly. "He used to drop them in the toilet and then forget to flush."

Kotetsu covered his eyes with one hand. "We should move on to other things. You stayin' for dinner, Bro?"

"I'll pick something up on the way home. Ah!" He gestured toward the door. "Barnaby, did you grab the green case out of there?"

"Ah, no."

Muramasa left without saying anything and Kotetsu just shook his head and led the way to the door. A moment later, Muramasa came back in with a large green tote with the liquor store logo on it and dumped it in Kotetsu's arms. "Here. Food."

"Wait, what?" Kotetsu set the case down on the ground and pulled off the plastic lid. "What are we supposed to do with this many cabbages?!"

"There are other things under the cabbage," Muramasa said with a grin. "I brought you a couple of bottles, there's some carrots under there in case your bunny wants them-"

"His name is Barnaby," Kaede said with a glare as she dug under the cabbages and grabbed a bag that she shoved at her father. "There's snacks here, too. Grandma said we had to get these for you."

Kotetsu took the bag and smiled at it as he clutched it in his hand. "Spicy mayo snacks. She knows me too well."

Barnaby frowned. "What are those?"

Laughing, Kotetsu showed off the bag. "They're little rice crackers flavored like spicy tuna rolls, but they taste more like the spicy mayo on 'em. I can't find these anywhere in Stern Bild, but in Oriental Town, they're stocked here and there."

"You do know that you can probably order those on the Internet, don't you?" Barnaby cocked his head to one side.

Kotetsu clutched the bag to his chest. "If I did that, it wouldn't be special when someone brought them to me." He crouched down and smiled at Kaede. "Thank you for Dad's snacks."

She pointed at Muramasa. "It was his idea to get you as many bags as we did."

Muramasa shrugged as Kotetsu stood up. "You needed something to go with the alcohol."

Kotetsu sighed. "Maybe I should just get them on the Internet after all." He stuck out his tongue and smiled. "I'm kidding. Thank you, Muramasa. Thank you for driving Kaede and her things up here, too. Is there anything I can do for you now?"

"A licensing deal?"

"Huh?" Kotetsu shook his head. "Go through Apollon."

Muramasa scowled. "Too much paperwork. What's the point in have a brother who's a hero if you can't make money off of it?"

"Here." Kotetsu grabbed something off of the shelf and handed it to Muramasa. "Twenty-five of each of our cards; signed."

"I'll take Barnaby's," Muramasa said and tried to hand back the rest. "Your's aren't worth much."

"These are rare!" Kotetsu shoved Muramasa's hand back. "Go home and tell Mom I love her."

Muramasa rolled his eyes and tucked the cards into his breast pocket. "Fine. I'll see you guys later, then."

Kaede snuck in one last hug and a smile before joining Kotetsu and Barnaby in waving as Muramasa left. "Bye!" she called out as the door swung close. She turned to Kotetsu and bowed her head. "I'm going to go unpack now if you don't mind."

Kotetsu kicked the box in front of him. "Me, too!" He picked up a cabbage. "We'll get dinner ready, too. I'll let you know when it's done."

Barnaby picked up the box and brought it toward the kitchen, leaving Kotetsu standing in the living room holding a cabbage. Kaede laughed. "Where's your room, by the way?"

Kotetsu pointed to the other end of the house from where her room was. "The master suite is down there."

"Huh? This will be the first time my room isn't next to someone else's."

"Just don't go crazy with the music volume in your room and I'll try to keep Bunny-chan from blaring the opera too loud." Kotetsu tossed the cabbage into the air and caught it.

"He really does listen to opera?" Kaede smiled. "I thought that was just one of those things that got said for Monthly Hero."

"Nah, Bunny-chan's pretty cultured. Except," he moved in toward Kaede and whispered, "he loves cabbage rolls."

"I heard that!" Barnaby shouted from the kitchen.

Kotetsu stuck the cabbage under one arm and grinned. "Go and unpack. There's plenty of time still for us all to learn about each other."

Kaede nodded, then paused and reached out to touch Kotetsu's left hand. "Hey, is it okay that you're still wearing the ring from when you were married to Mom?"

Shifting his hand to look at the ring, Kotetsu nodded softly. "I told you that I never stopped loving her."

"But how can Barnaby be okay with it?"

Kotetsu moved to put the cabbage down on a shelf so he could kneel down in front of Kaede. "You know how you love Grandma and me and Muramasa and Mom, even though she's not with us anymore?"

"Well, yeah..." Kaede clutched her hands in front of her. "But that's different."

"Not really. Love is love. It's just different levels of it. I'm never going to stop loving Tomoe, so I'm always going to wear the ring. And if Bunny-chan wants to get me a ring, it won't replace this one. And if _you_ got me a ring, I'd wear it, too!"

Kaede smiled. "I'm going to tell everyone to get you rings for your birthday just so you can try to wear them all."

Kotetsu shook his head. "I wouldn't, though. I wouldn't wear a ring for just anyone."

"So, just us?"

Kotetsu grabbed her chin and shook it gently. "Just you guys. Now, go! Unpack! I want to see boxes piled by the door by the time we eat dinner."

"Yes, Dad!" Kaede turned and walked off to her new room and Kotetsu stood, groaning as his knee popped, and grabbed the cabbage from the shelf and took it to the kitchen.

"You _would_ wear a ring that I got for you?" Barnaby was leaning against the stove with a glass of water in hand.

"Bunny-chan! You eavesdrop too much."

Barnaby lifted one eyebrow. "You talk loudly."

Kotetsu put the cabbage down. "I would."

"We're not quite there yet, though." Barnaby traced his thumb along the glass, trailing through drops of condensation.

"Probably not," Kotetsu said softly. "But we're getting closer every day."

Barnaby nodded, a smile pulling his lips. "So, dinner?"

Kotetsu held up the cabbage again. "Cabbage rolls?"

Looking off to the side, Barnaby nodded. "It's not that uncultured, is it?"

"Isn't it okay if it is?" Kotetsu pointed his thumb to his own chest. "Don't you like this uncultured thing, too?"

Barnaby nodded. "There is that, but I thought it was okay because you were an antique." He laughed and took the cabbage before Kotetsu could protest. "I'm kidding. Let's make cabbage rolls. Then I'll be surrounded by all of the things I like."

Kotetsu glanced out of the kitchen. "And so will I."


	3. Chapter 3

Kotetsu woke up to a scream and was up and running across the house before he could stop to think about it because _that was Kaede_ when Barnaby jumped halfway out of the bed to stop him. "Put on pants!"

Grabbing a pair of exercise pants that, from the tightness, were actually Barnaby's, Kotetsu dashed down the hallway and found the source of the scream. Kaede was sitting in the middle of the kitchen and holding her left foot, surrounded by broken glass. "Dad~" she whimpered and Kotetsu braved the tiled floor and picked her up and took her out of the kitchen, amazed at his own luck in not getting any splinters of glass embedded in him. "I'm sorry. I broke a glass."

He sat down on one of the dining room chairs (which took some manuevering as Barnaby was on a relentless mission to keep them pushed in) and held Kaede close to his chest and kissed her forehead. "I'm worried about you, not the glass. What did you do to your foot?"

She winced. "My glass of water slipped out of my hand and fell on my toe and broke."

"Let me see?" Kotetsu watched as Kaede looked away before moving her hand. He whistled and tried to make sense of what he was seeing. "Does it feel like you have glass in there?"

Kaede shook her head and clutched Kotetsu's arm. "Dad, it hurts."

Kotetsu looked at the toe again. "I think we might need to go to the hospital."

Her eyes opened wide and she looked down at her foot and immediately brought her hand up to cover her mouth. At that moment, Barnaby entered the room, his hair just enough off from perfect to show his head had touched a pillow once, and looked at them. Alarmed, he took a few more steps toward Kaede and flicked on the light above the table and bent down to examine her toe. "Does it seem like the bleeding has stopped?"

Kaede shook her head at the same time that she shrugged. "I don't..."

"Kaede? Listen to me." Barnaby grabbed her hand. "You're starting to go into shock. And that's okay. But we're going to take you to the hospital now. Do you understand me?" He turned to Kotetsu. "Leave her with me and go get some clothes on."

Kotetsu moved Kaede over to Barnaby's lap when the other man sat down and stroked Kaede's cheek before rushing to the bedroom and throwing on a t-shirt. He rushed back down the hallway and shoved his feet into a pair of shoes and carefully picked up Kaede again, only just noticing that Barnaby was already dressed. "Let's go!"

Barnaby stood and hurried into his shoes, grabbing his keys from a hook by the door, and then they headed outside. Barnaby's fingers fumbled as he locked the house behind them, but they steadied by the time he rushed ahead of Kotetsu and Kaede to unlock the car door. "Maybe you should both sit in the back?"

With exacting movements, Kotetsu set Kaede down in the back seat and strapped the seat belt across her before moving to the other side of the car and getting in beside her, automatically grabbing her hand and stroking it. They were only blocks from the hospital, so it didn't take long to get there, but in the meantime, Kotetsu had pulled Kaede's feet up onto his lap. "How bad is the pain, Kaede?"

"I... I don't-" Kaede clutched at the strap of the seat belt. "I have a competition at the end of the month right before school starts. What am I going to do?"

Grabbing her knee, Kotetsu frowned. "We'll talk about that once you get treated, okay?"

The check-in at the hospital seemed to take forever once Barnaby dropped them off at the door so he could go park the car, but Kotetsu knew it couldn't have taken that long as Barnaby didn't come back into the building until just after Kaede's information had been entered into the system. Kaede was in his lap again, shivering, and Kotetsu tried to keep his arms wrapped around her to provide what warmth he could in the air-conditioning, but it wasn't enough. It was Barnaby who thought to ask at the desk for a blanket, but just as he asked, Kaede was called back to see the nurse.

Kotetsu stood easily with her in his arms and carried her, still shaking slightly, toward the nurse who appraised Kaede calmly. "Is it actively bleeding?"

Barnaby, who had trailed behind them into the room carrying the blanket, was the one who answered. "Only slightly. But, she's in shock and in pain."

The nurse's eyes widened. "You're... Barnaby! I love you!" She stood up quickly, Kaede's chart falling to the floor beside her. "May I shake your-"

"This isn't really the time for that," Barnaby said in the stern voice that Kotetsu knew so well. "Will we have to wait long?"

The nurse sat back down, scrambling to pick up the chart again, looking embarassed. "We don't have a lot of patients tonight, thankfully, so I think we can get her in within the next few minutes."

"I understand you must do a triage of sorts. If she has to be prioritized a bit later, we can manage."

The nurse suddenly squinted at Kotetsu. "If Barnaby is here, you must be-"

Kotetsu's eyes widened. "His boyfriend."

Barnaby nudged his glasses up his nose. "Let us know when it's Kaede's turn."

Holding Kaede tight again, Kotetsu carried her back out to the waiting area. "Did you not want me to say that?"

"I don't mind it, I guess," Barnaby said as he let Kotetsu sit down before draping the blanket over Kaede, careful to avoid her foot. "I thought you might be a little more willing to give up your secret identity since it's something of an open secret anyway."

Kotetsu smoothed the blanket along Kaede's shoulder. "I'm used to hiding who I am as a Hero. Even Kaede didn't know until a few years ago."

She shivered again, but scowled. "That wasn't very nice of you, by the way."

He laughed. "I know, sweetie. But I was protecting you. You didn't want to worry about Wild Tiger every time he went into a dangerous situation, did you?"

"But I could have been your fan!" She pressed her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry I wasn't. I even thought you were really lame for a while because you dressed the same way that Wild Tiger did and I still didn't understand."

Barnaby smiled beside them. "Are you his fan now?"

Kaede sat up a little. "Of course!" She winced. "I think maybe I never liked Wild Tiger as much because he seemed too much like the kind of Hero that Dad would be. Really, he is still a little lame. But he tries really hard and he does save a lot of people, so yeah... I'm a fan."

Kotetsu wiped at one eye. "You're gonna make me cry."

"Dad, stop being lame," Kaede said quietly as she smiled. 

"Kaede Kaburagi?" A nurse at the desk finally called Kaede's name and Kotetsu had her up and over to the nurse quickly. "If you'll follow me."

The next while was full of waiting anew on a hospital bed. Kaede curled up under her blanket and said, "Dad, you guys can sit over there if you want. I know I'm not very good company right now."

Kotetsu sat down beside her and stroked her head. "Dad isn't just going to leave you laying here in the hospital. I'll go sit down when the doctor gets in here. Until then, I'm right here."

Barnaby moved closer and held out his hand. "And so am I." Kaede hesitated a moment, but grabbed the proferred hand and squeezed it. "I think I heard you say you have a competition coming up? What for?"

Kaede rolled her eyes. "Dad, don't you tell him anything?" She smiled, though, as Kotetsu stroked her hair back more. "I do figure skating. You... Your first day on the job, you saved me."

Barnaby cocked his head to one side. "That was you?" He smiled and shook her hand back and forth. "You were just as brave then as you're being right now."

Nodding, Kaede said, "Too bad bravery doesn't heal anything." Her mouth tightened. "I guess I'll have to miss this competition, then."

"How much do you know about the Hundred Power, sweetie?" Kotetsu said suddenly.

"Um, it increases your strength by a hundred times?"

Kotetsu smiled. "It increases healing, too."

"So, I could-"

Barnaby was quick to interject, "We don't know. But it does mean that there is the _potential_ for you to still make it there."

Scratching his head a little, Kotetsu asked, "How important is a toe anyway?"

Kaede rolled her eyes. "When you need to push off of that toe to send yourself spinning through the air? It's kind of important. I do most of my stunts pushing off from the right, but skates aren't exactly forgiving shoes."

"Well, Dad will do everything in his power to make sure that you get better. And then maybe I'll be a little better about following along with your hobbies. Still, only your first night here and you're in the hospital. That's impressive!"

Barnaby glared at Kotetsu, then smiled at Kaede. "It was an accident. Just be happy that you aren't as bad as your father that way."

Kaede pulled her blanket up higher, her left foot starting to shake from cold since it was the only part of her uncovered. "Grandma told me about how Dad had to go to the hospital like a week after moving to Stern Bild because he was stupid and thought you could leave mayonnaise out on the counter."

Barnaby laughed while Kotetsu ruffled Kaede's hair and pulled her into a hug that she didn't fight. "I bed Grandma forget to tell you that I caught a bank robber on my way to the hospital! I just brought him with me when I went in. Dropped him down on the ground along with the stuff he stole, tied his arms behind him and puked on him when I tried to stand up."

"Oh, gross!" Kaede moved her free hand to grasp at Kotetsu's hand. "They're not going to have t-to amputate my toe, are they?" Her eyebrows were drawn low and together as she looked at Kotetsu.

"I doubt it, sweetie. But, I think you're losing that nail." Kotetsu glanced down at her foot again. "I've never lost one of the big ones before, but the little ones aren't much fun."

There was a knock on the door frame before a man walked in who reminded Kotetsu eerily of Saitou, but he spoke at a normal volume when he said, "Kaede?" She nodded and took a deep breath. He walked forward, adjusting his glasses. "I'm Dr. Takahashi. I'll be your doctor tonight." He looked pointedly at Kotetsu and Barnaby. "If the two of you would take a seat for a moment, I need to examine her."

Kaede whimpered when they let go of her hands and moved to sit down, each man taking only the tiniest edge of the chair for his own use. "Am I losing the toenail?" She stared at the doctor with a frown.

He had already moved to her foot and was looking at the injured toe. "That's a definite outcome here. Unfortunately, you also seem to have a laceration to the nail bed so we'll need to put some stitches in there. Your file said you dropped a drinking glass on your toe?"

"Yeah. I just moved to town so I didn't realize how heavy they were when I went to get a glass of water, I guess." Kaede wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

Kotetsu held up a hand. "I have a question about her healing. She's a figure skater, so she's going to need that toe. She'll be able to heal faster with her NEXT powers. Is there any reason she can't do that with the stitches?"

Dr. Takahashi looked at his chart again. "Well, I can't say. That's something that's pretty untested since healing is an unusual power."

Barnaby cut it. "It's the Hundred Power. She can copy powers, so she'll be able to copy mine. Healing at a faster rate is part of it."

"Is that so?" Dr. Takahashi pulled a pen from his pocket and made a note in the file. "Well, healing faster is always a good idea since it means less risk of infection. However, you'll have to be careful about the stitches. Typically we take them out about a week after they go in, so if you're healing faster, they'll need to come out sooner."

Kaede squirmed on the bed. "C-can I get some kind of pain medicine? This still really hurts."

Smiling, the doctor turned to the locked cabinet against one wall that none of them had noticed. He opened it with a key from his pocket, got out a single pill and locked the cabinet again. He grabbed a small bottle of water and handed them both to Kaede. "Go ahead and take this. I'll need to go and get a nurse to gather my supplies, but by the time that's working, I'll be back and we'll get to work." He watched as Kaede swallowed the small white pill with a sip of water and smiled. "Okay, just lay back and relax if you can." He left the room and Kotetsu immediately stood and rushed back to Kaede's side.

"Dad," Kaede said suddenly, "are you wearing Barnaby's clothes?"

Kotetsu looked down at his outfit which did consist of Barnaby's exercise pants that ended above his ankles, but also a Hero Academy t-shirt and Barnaby's loafers. "I guess I am."

"You look ridiculous."

Barnaby sighed and joined them. "It's because his legs are so long. If the pants fit him, he might look okay."

"It looks like he's wearing capris." Kaede laughed and capped her water bottle. "But I guess it's nice to know that you grabbed whatever was there instead of..." One of her eyebrows raised. "Wait, does that mean you were... Ew!"

Barnaby snickered as Kotetsu covered his face with one hand. "It's summer, Kaede. You're wearing shorts. So was I."

"Well, okay. Thank you for putting on pants." Kaede yawned. "I can sleep in tomorrow, right?"

"I think even Barnaby might skip his early morning run," Kotetsu said while nudging Barnaby with his elbow.

"Since you're wearing my pants and we're all tired? Probably."

Kaede put one arm over her eyes. "I can't believe I did something so stupid. I was supposed to start at my new coach's rink tomorrow."

"I'm a horrible Dad for this, I know, but just how good are you at skating?" Kotetsu sat on the edge of the table, the paper covering crinkling under him. "I didn't even think about you keeping it up when you moved here, and I don't remember you saying anything about having to find a new coach. How did that happen so quickly?"

"I guess I'm a bad daughter, too." Kaede let her arm drop back down. "I'm pretty good. I mean, I usually place in the top five of a competition, but I keep just missing out on the medals. My coach back in Oriental City was pretty good, but as soon as I told her I was moving, she had me on the phone with my new coach who she said had been asking about me. My new coach charges the same amount, so I didn't even think about it." She laughed weakly. "I didn't even think to talk to you about it."

Kotetsu grabbed her hand again. "We'll both get better about talking. Bunny here, too."

Barnaby rolled his eyes. "I'm fine at talking. But I'll try to be better about talking to both of you specifically."

Kaede nodded happily. "Good." She smiled shyly. "I don't think I've had to chance to say that I'm kind of glad you're in our family now."

"Ah, I was your favorite hero, right?" Barnaby grinned.

"You make Dad happy. That's why." Kaede looked at her father and stuck out her tongue. "I think he's been lonely since Mom died, but it's been long enough that I'm kind of happy to see him move on a little, and if it had to be someone... Well, you're pretty great."

Barnaby pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and smiled. "Thank you. I'm glad that you're accepting me."

"It was either that or watch Dad cry." Kaede laughed. "I'm kidding. I knew you were important to him. That year that he basically just laid on the couch eating tomato and mayo sandwiches? He talked about you a lot. Like, more than anything else."

"He did?" Barnaby's smile widened. "He talks about you a lot, too, you know. Always bragging."

"Dad!" Kaede kicked Kotetsu gently with her good foot. "Bragging about what you don't even know about."

"I know you're amazing!" Kotetsu said loudly. "I just don't always know all the details."

"Thanks, Dad." Kaede kicked him again and laughed at the face he made. 

There was another knock on the door frame and then Dr. Takahashi entered the room with a tray covered in sealed packages. Kotetsu and Barnaby moved back while he set the tray down by her foot. He grabbed a pair of gloves from a box in a caddy on the wall and pulled them on. "Kaede? First we're going to numb up that toe a little more, okay?"

"Um, okay?"

"I'm going to give you some lidocaine on either side of the toe. It's going to hurt a little, but it'll make the rest of it no big deal." He prepared the syringe. "Do you want one of them to hold your hand?"

Kaede reached out to Kotetsu. "Dad?"

Kotetsu stepped forward and grabbed her hand with one of his own and stroked her hair with the other. "Just squeeze," he said. Taking a deep breath, Kaede went ahead and started squeezing for several moments before the needle entered her toe. She muffled a scream with her other hand and squeezed harder. "Almost over," Kotetsu said and watched as the needle was moved to the other side, squeezing back as it was inserted on the other side. When the needle was pulled out, Kotetsu turned back to Kaede. "There. You did great."

She was trying not to cry. "It feels like it's burning," she whispered.

"That's normal," Dr. Takahashi said. "It'll go away in a moment. Let me know when it does because that means it's working and we can fix you up good as new."

Kaede trembled, her other foot bouncing against the table at a steady pace and her fingers digging into the back of Kotetsu's hand, and then she suddenly relaxed. "O-okay."

Kotetsu kept holding her hand as the doctor removed the toenail and put in four stitches and bandaged her up. As he slid on the last piece of medical tape, Kotetsu shook her hand back and forth. Dr. Takahashi smiled. "You mentioned the NEXT healing. If you do that, I'm not certain how much faster you'll heal, but it normally takes about a year for the nail to grow back fully, though you'll be functional a long while before that. For the first while, you'll want to use some kind of petroleum jelly based antibiotic ointment on it, liberally, and then wrap it with a gauze pad and tape it in place. Eventually, you'll just be able to put a Band-Aid over the missing nail, but that might be a while. I'm giving you two prescriptions here accessible from any pharmacy." He started tapping information into a handheld computer he pulled from his pocket. "One is for an antibiotic. Make sure you take it all. The other is a painkiller." He checked her file again. "Okay, you're not old enough to drive, so you don't need to worry about that. Follow up with your doctor in a few days to see about getting the stitches out." He closed the file and tucked the computer back in his pocket. "Any questions?"

Kaede looked between Kotetsu and Barnaby for a moment and then down at her toe swathed in white bandages and tape. "I guess not."

Dr. Takahashi held up a hand. "Then you're all free to go home and get some sleep."

Kaede slid to the edge of the table and pushed away Kotetsu's hands when he tried to pick her up again. She set her feet down on the cold linoleum and stood up, gasping for breath as she shifted her weight. "Oh, man."

Barnaby scooped her up this time. "Let's go find somewhere to get those prescriptions filled."

"There's a 24 hour pharmacy across the road," Kotetsu said, gesturing in that direction with his thumb. "I've been in this hospital enough to know."

"That's true." Barnaby held Kaede a little more tightly. "And now we all have. What better way to celebrate, hmm?"

"Barnaby!" Kaede clapped her hand over her mouth. "I see now why Dad likes you."

"And I can see why he's always bragging about you." Barnaby shook out his hair. "Come along, old man. I'd like to get _some_ sleep tonight." Kotetsu happily followed.


	4. Chapter 4

There was a clatter from the bathroom and Kotetsu's shoulders tensed. A moment later, his daughter limped out into the living room with a scowl. "Dad! How many times do I have to tell you that brushing your teeth in the tub is _gross_?"

"Sorry!" Kotetsu rubbed at the back of his neck. "It's a habit. Like how Bunny-chan over here has a bad habit of putting things away that've been left out for a reason."

Barnaby looked up from the other end of the couch and frowned. "I hope you're not talking about the package of pudding mix that you left on the counter for three days before I put it back in the cupboard."

"I left it out as a reminder to make it!"

"Obviously, it didn't work. Now do Kaede a favor and brush your teeth at the sink like a normal person at least until she can start showering." Barnaby grinned at Kaede.

Kaede laughed. "Thank you, Barnaby." She looked at her dad and frowned. "While we're at it, why don't you upgrade to an electric toothbrush already?"

Kotetsu shrugged. "Because then I couldn't brush my teeth in the tub?"

Sighing, Kaede shook her head. "Lame. You're not really all that old, but you act older than Grandma."

"Hey!" Kotetsu frowned.

Barnaby laughed. "That's why I can't help but call him 'old man'."

"Go take your bath. I'll knock on the door when it's time to power up." Kotetsu stretched his arms above his head. "And in the meantime, I'll make pudding."

Barnaby sighed. "We'll make pudding and dinner, then." He set aside the magazine he'd been reading. "I'll make sure he doesn't put mayonnaise in the pudding, so go enjoy your bath."

Kaede laughed and turned on her heel before hobbling back toward the master suite. Kotetsu stood up and looked after her for a moment. "I wonder how much longer until she can start showering again? I'm not used to having to share my bathroom anymore."

"Tell me about it." Barnaby stood up and moved toward the kitchen, Kotetsu close behind him. "You're like that in the locker room, too. Towels everywhere, shaving cream splattered on the mirror... You never put the cap back on the toothpaste, either. I think it's time you remember what it's like to not be a bachelor."

Kotetsu sighed and leaned against the fridge. "Am I really that bad?"

Barnaby opened a cupboard and pulled down the box of pudding mix and slid it toward Kotetsu. "For things like that? Yes. You're a slob. You leave dishes in the sink when the dishwasher is empty. You throw things toward the trash can and miss and don't bother going over to pick them up until it suits you."

"Ugh. Okay-"

"But!" Barnaby smiled and nudged Kotetsu's shin with his foot. "I think I needed something like that in my life, too."

"You _have_ started leaving your glasses everywhere." Kotetsu turned and opened the fridge to grab the milk. "Okay, pudding!" He paused. "What are we making for dinner?"

Barnaby glanced into the refrigerator over Kotetsu's shoulder. "We really should have gone shopping today. Hmm... Is that rice?"

Kotetsu pulled out a container of leftover rice and handed it over. "You're not going to make that casserole thing again, are you?"

"What? It was good." Barnaby nudged Kotetsu out of the way and started grabbing other things from the fridge and setting them on the counter. "Make you pudding. We'll have that for dessert."

"It was good if you ignore the fact that the rice that didn't have the sauce on it had about as much taste as pencil shavings." Kotetsu dug around in a drawer for a whisk and moved on to find a bowl and the measuring cup.

Barnaby began preparing ingredients. "I followed the recipe. If I do make it again, I'll be certain to double the amount of sauce just for you."

Kotetsu leaned over and planted a kiss on Barnaby's cheek. "Thank you, Bunny-chan. I'll try to be better... For you _and_ for Kaede."

"Good." Barnaby smiled. "Now make certain to mix that enough this time. Clumps of powdered pudding mix aren't exactly delicious to bite into."

Kotetsu laughed and turned back to his bowl. They each focused on what they were doing and Kotetsu slid the pudding, portioned into small ramekins, into the fridge just as the timer on his watch went off. "Okay, gonna go knock on the door for Kaede." Barnaby nodded and Kotetsu left the kitchen. He stretched again as he went down the hallway and pushed open the door to the master suite. A few more steps and he was at the door of the bathroom. He rapped twice with his knuckles. "Power up time, Kaede."

"Got it, Dad!" 

There was a sudden blue glow from under the door and Kotetsu smiled. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Dad~ Can't you leave a girl to take a bath in peace? I know dinner's soon!"

"Sorry! I'll leave you alone now." Kotetsu walked back toward the living room and took a seat on the couch, legs coming up to rest on the coffee table.

"Get your feet off the table," Barnaby said loudly from the kitchen where Kotetsu could hear sizzling. 

Kotetsu made a face, but put his feet back down, crossing one leg over the other before grabbing for the remote and turning on the television. Within moments, he was engrossed in a variety show featuring one of the actresses he liked. Before he knew it, Barnaby was tapping him on the shoulder. "Huh?"

"I told you that dinner was ready three times. What are you so enthralled with?" Barnaby watched the television for a moment, raising one eyebrow when the actress came on screen. "Okay, I see what it is."

"Bunny-chan! It isn't like that!" Kotetsu shut off the television quickly and hurried around the couch to pull Barnaby into his arms. "I just like her as an actress."

Barnaby laughed. "I know. Now, come on. Food." He looked up and noticed Kaede, already dressed in a tank top and shorts with her hair wrapped in a towel and a fresh bandage on her toe. "Dinner's ready."

Kotetsu pursed his lips and followed Barnaby and Kaede to the table. He smiled as he saw the plate at his seat, then frowned immediately as he heard Kaede say, "Fried rice _again_? Dad, do you even know how to make anything else?"

Barnaby cleared his throat. "I was the one who-"

"Oh!" Kaede slapped her hands over her mouth. "I'm sorry!" She hung her head. "I didn't even think..."

Smiling, Barnaby reached over and patted her shoulder awkwardly. "It's not a big deal. It is your father's recipe. He made it for me at a really rough point in my life, and I wanted to make it for him one day since he complained that he liked his better than what restaurants made. It was, oh, part of our courtship, I guess? Because of that, we tend to make it a lot."

"That's..." Kaede tilted her head first one way and then the other. "Lame or cute? I can't quite decide."

Kotetsu laughed and grabbed his spoon and dug into the rice. "Just appreciate that we're the only two people in the world who get to eat Bunny's fried rice."

Kaede smiled brightly. "Then I'm sure I'll enjoy it." She took a large bite and the smile melted off her face just a touch as she chewed. After swallowing, she looked at Barnaby. "Well, it isn't as good as Dad's is, but maybe you'll get there some day."

Barnaby looked at Kotetsu. "How do you like that?"

Chewing his own first mouthful, Kotetsu nodded slowly. "She's right, you know." He waved his spoon in the air at Barnaby. "You need more mayo in it."

Kaede nodded. "And your egg isn't scrambled enough. There's whole pieces that are just white. And the fact that they're white instead of tan shows that you needed more soy sauce."

Barnaby leaned his head back and sighed. "And here I thought I was getting pretty good at this."

"I-" Kaede took another bite and chewed quickly. "It _is_ good. So, uh, we'll help you! I mean, my friend rice isn't as good as Dad's is either, but he's like three times my age so that's to be expected, right?"

Blowing a strand of hair out of his face, Barnaby smiled softly. "Does it not bother you that I'm almost closer to you in age than to Kotetsu?"

"Huh?" Kaede pushed some of her rice around, mounding it next to a shrimp. "I didn't think about that at all. But, I don't think it bothers me? You're both adults. I'm still just a kid. What do I know, right?"

Kotetsu tapped his spoon against the edge of his dish and frowned. "What do _you_ know? Since when do you not have opinions?" He let the spoon fall against the table and took a long draw of water from his glass. "Sweetie, you can tell him what you really think, you know. If he can put up with me, he can put up with anyone. Isn't that what you're always saying?"

Kaede shook her head. "I didn't-" Her face tensed and she glared at her father. "Shouldn't I try to be extra nice to him? I want him to stick around! I like him. _You_ like him. If I'm myself, he might not-" She froze and turned, horrified, to look at Barnaby.

"There's my little girl. The spitfire." Kotetsu laughed. "Sorry about that. But Barnaby was asking me last night how things were between us and I realized you weren't acting like yourself. Now Barnaby knows what you're like, and if he's anything at all like I think he is? Then he liked it."

Barnaby laughed and looked at Kaede. "I like this Kaede who speaks her mind. Kaede, the fan, is fine. But Kaede, the daughter of the man I love? She's the one I really want to get to know. And don't you want to get to know me better, too?"

"Yeah." Kaede spoke down to her hands. "I just... I want you to think I'm as great as Dad says I am."

Barnaby sat still for a moment, eyeing Kaede until she looked up hesitantly. "Aren't you even better than that?"

"What? No. I'm just..."

"Because I heard that you actually chased off Lunatic one time. And you've managed to deal with controlling a variety of different NEXT powers without having to train specifically in each one. And you're a far better figure skater than your father realized. I checked on your coach. It's a big deal that she wanted to take you on." He let his index finger trace along the edge of his water glass. "If you've got opinions, you also have the right to share them with friends and family at the very least. I know it might take a while, but I'd like to get to the point where you can yell at me for being lame, too."

Kaede laughed suddenly. "Wasn't it enough that I insulted your cooking?"

Kotetsu frowned. "You thought you were insulting my cooking and then you came around a moment later to say mine was better. You hurt Dad's feelings."

"Lame." Kaede smiled suddenly. "Fine. I'll work harder at this." She nodded sharply. "Barnaby... the fact that you checked out my coach... Did Dad put you up to that?"

Kotetsu shook his head. "I figured Grandma had. Didn't she go with you to sign papers or something?"

Kaede's eyes widened. "Oh, hey. I did kind of forget that you need to come with me when I do go down for my first day. You know, for the signing and everything." She turned to Barnaby and stuck out her tongue. "There. See? You were the lame one for once."

"How's your toe doing anyway? Should we go in the morning to get the stitches removed?" Kotetsu dug into his food with gusto.

Filling her spoon with friend rice, Kaede nodded. "Yeah, I think so. It doesn't seem to be, like, a gash anymore? And most of the, uh, oozing has stopped? It's kind of cool in a way that after I do the five minutes of Hundred Power, it doesn't hurt at all! It's way better than just the medicine."

"Isn't it?" Kotetsu leaned forward, excited. "It's the adrenaline. It-" He sat back calmly at the look that Barnaby gave him. "So, do you know anything about your new school yet?"

Kaede shrugged, her mouth full of shrimp for a moment as she tried to chew quickly. "It's school. We've still got another month and a half or so before it starts, but I looked on the website and there was something about having to arrange a special test for kids with NEXT abilities. Hey! Why haven't you looked into this?"

"Honestly?" Barnaby laughed. "He still uses an abacus."

"Bunny-chan! You're supposed to be on my side." Kotetsu laughed. "But I guess you can side with Kaede just this once."

Kaede smiled. "Dad, his name is Barnaby. Bar~na~by."

Barnaby nodded. "Yeah. She's definitely staying."

Kotetsu frowned. "If I didn't love you so much..." He picked up a piece of shrimp and suddenly flung it across the table at Kaede.

She caught it in her mouth and giggled as she chewed. "But you do. And I love you. And, Barbaby? I..."

"Me too." Barnaby picked up his spoon and rapped it sharply against Kotetsu's knuckled. "Don't you dare throw food in this house again. It's bad enough when you do it by accident."

"Yes, Bunny-chan~" Kotetsu said as he rubbed at his hand.

"It's Barnaby!" Kaede and Barnaby said in unison with big smiles.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been months, guys, and I'm sorry. Shortly after I posted the last chapter, I started having health problems that proved themselves to be multiple sclerosis. So, I moved back closer to family and friends which brings with it that whole deal of people wanting to do stuff. But, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things with writing, so hopefully I can keep on with this without another 5 month break.

Barnaby rubbed his shoulder as he moved toward the door at the sound of the doorbell. His mission earlier in the day had ended with Kotetsu capturing their criminal, but he'd accidentally knocked into a fire extinguisher while doing so, knocking off the top so that the canister went flying and hit Barnaby. In his APOLLON suit even that hadn't hurt much at all, but Kotetsu was still overly apologetic about it. A hot shower tonight and he would be fine by tomorrow, but Kotetsu was nearly driving him mad by being by his side constantly, no matter how much Barnaby tried to make it clear that there wasn't anything to forgive. He was glad that Kotetsu had gone with Kaede in order to meet her new coach and get her all signed up at her new rink, thereby leaving Barnaby alone for a bit... but it didn't explain who was at the door. Certainly, he expected the Kaburagi contingent home soon, but even an apologetic Kotetsu knew better than to ring the bell at his own place. He didn't bother with the peephole and opened the door, his eyebrows raising slightly. "Blue Rose?"

Karina pouted slightly, but lifted the pastry box she was holding. "A housewarming gift. Is Kotetsu here?"

Taking the proffered box, Barnaby shook his head. "Not yet. He'll be home soon. He had to take his daughter somewhere." He cleared his throat softly. "I suppose you'd like to come in to wait?"

She was already pushing past him, looking around at the house. "Huh. You guys have a lot of space here, I guess. How many bedrooms? ...And baths?"

"It's three bedroom and two bath," Barnaby said softly, then decided to go ahead and answer the question he could tell Karina was trying to edge toward. "There's the master suite that Kotetsu and I share, Kaede's room, and our office." He sat down on the couch and set the pastry box on the coffee table.

Karina pouted more, then reached for the pastry box, opening it to reveal an assortment of baklava. She took one, biting into it with a furor that Barnaby missed since they were no longer in the same league. "Hmm. I guess the rooms are pretty large then." 

A bit of the phyllo clung to the corner of her mouth, but Barnaby felt a moment of spite and chose not to tell her about it. "They are. It's a lucky thing for me that Kotetsu isn't the type to insist on paying equal shares of things so that we could afford something so nice. I was willing to pay more, but I don't really need much for myself. As long as he's happy, I'm happy." Her expression softened and Barnaby picked up the box of tissues on the table, handing it to her. "You have a bit of something on your mouth."

Her eyebrows knitted together and she plucked one of the tissues from the box, wiping at her mouth carefully so as not to take off her lip gloss. "Thanks," she muttered. "So, it's really... real, then?"

Barnaby chuckled softly. "Didn't he tell you himself? I'm sorry if you feel I'm not good enough for him. But, we make each other happy. I think that's the important bit. He's done so much for me... As long as he wants me, I'm never going to tell him no."

"Then you're only with him because he told you he wanted you and you just-"

"No!" Barnaby's eyes narrowed. "I..." He pushed his glasses up his nose. "I was the one who told him that I wanted him in my life as more than just my partner at work." He felt uncomfortable divulging the information, but Karina was not the type to let up when it came to something she really wanted. Since discovering that she wanted Kotetsu from her reactions since the'd announced to the group that the were together, he'd been wary of her. "When I went to the second league, it was to prove to him that I would go anywhere for him and I would be his partner, no matter what."

Karina lifted her thumb to her mouth, chewing softly on the nail. She did so for a long moment, then nodded softly. "You're a lucky man, Barnaby."

He shook his head. "After everything I've gone through, this is more like my one lucky break. I've traded all my other luck for this one thing. But it's worth it."

Huffing out a breath, Karina put on a wry grin, letting her hand drop back down. "You're so complicated. You have this really friendly exterior that you show in the media, then this really cold persona that you use a lot, but underneath it all... You're a good guy, aren't you?"

"Not like Kotetsu."

"Well, no one means well like he does, do they?" Karina tucked her hair behind her ears. "How much longer should he be? And Kaede... I was looking forward to seeing her again, too."

Barnaby checked his watch. "Hmm. They should have been back already. I'll give him a call and-" He was cut off by the door opening and the man in question coming in. "Well, speak of the devil."

Kotetsu laughed, then pushed the door open more to allow Kaede through. "Well, here's a nice surprise. Did you come by to see Kaede? I wasn't sure if you'd gotten word yet that she moved in with us."

Kaede jumped up and down briefly, then dashed over to Karina. "Hi!" She noted the box on the table. "Ooo, snacks!" She opened the box and picked up a piece of baklava drizzled with chocolate. "Karina, did you remember I loved these? Thank you!"

Smirking, Karina opened the box a bit more. "Kotetsu? Would you like one, too?" She swept her hair back with her free hand. "I remembered that Kaede liked baklava, but I thought she might have gotten that taste from you."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Kotetsu cleared his throat. "I'm allergic to pistachios, actually. I found that out when, well, when Tomoe brought me baklava. But, thank you for bringing them anyway?"

Sighing, Karina leaned forward with her arms crossed and pressing against her knees. "Then what do you like for dessert?"

Barnaby laughed. "He likes simple things. Pudding. Cake. Pie. Ice Cream."

Kaede nodded. "Yeah, Dad's kind of weird when it comes to food. He'll eat pretty much anything you put in front of him, but if he's the one making it? Fried rice. Always. But, he makes it pretty good and now that we live with Barnaby, he can put in a lot more shrimp than he used to."

Kotetsu grinned and sat down on one of the arm chairs that matched the couch. "I can make other things, you know."

Nudging Kotetsu's foot with his own, Barnaby laughed. "Yes, but most of the time, you don't."

Sitting between Karina and Barnaby on the couch, Kaede took another bite of her baklava. "Dad," she said as she covered her mouth, "your cabbage rolls were good when you made them for Barnaby a few days ago."

Barnaby nodded. "They were. And we do still have cabbage. A lot of it." 

"You just want more cabbage rolls." Kotetsu smiled as he said the words, though, his eyes locking on Barnaby's. A moment later, though, he sat up straighter. "Oh! Kaede got her stitches out."

Turning to her, Barnaby's eyebrows raised. "You did? What happened?"

Kaede giggled. "Well, I went to meet the new coach and when I talked about my toe and everything and she wanted to see it to see how bad it was and they had a doctor guy on staff and he took out the stitches. And the nail is growing out and once it comes out a little more, the coach said I should get a pedicure and have a fake toenail glued on so that I can stop having to put on these huge bandages and also so the nail will grow out properly. And while I'm at it, I might as well get some new skates. It's still enough before competition season that I can break them in the right way since I'll need to start slowly and all of that and-"

Standing up, Karina bowed her head. "I'll just come by another day then, okay? You guys seem like you have things to catch up on. Maybe Pao-Lin and I can come for dinner next week or something?"

"Stay for dinner tonight. Should I call your parents and ask if it's okay?" Kotetsu stretched his arms above his head, his joints popping with the motion. "There's still a few hours, so I can manage the cabbage rolls and you and Kaede can take some time to catch up."

"Once I became a hero, my parents started assuming I wouldn't be home for dinner unless I called ahead of time to tell them I would be." Karina sat back down and nodded. "Sure. Cabbage rolls it is."

Kotetsu held up one hand in a fist. "Yes! Bunny-chan, wanna help me in the kitchen?"

Barnaby grinned, but no other mention was made of the use of his nickname. "Sure, why not? We'll leave the girls to their own devices." He looked to Kaede. "Would you like to show her your room? I'll bring some drinks to you in a few."

Kaede grabbed another piece of baklava before standing. "Sure!" Her watch beeped and she sighed. "But first..." She wrapped her arms around Barnaby in a quick hug, then powered up. "Thanks! Sorry, I touched Karina and didn't want to freeze the living room."

"Good choice." Barnaby waved toward Kaede's room. "Go. Enjoy each other's company and I'll keep your father from burning the house down."

Finding herself being grabbed by the sleeve, Karina followed Kaede quickly. Her eyes widened at the room. "Whoa! If your room is this nice, how nice is Kotetsu's?"

Kaede sat down on the love seat in the room, laughing. "Hey, your room is pretty nice if I remember right. You're just thinking about living with my dad." She sobered quickly. "Sorry. I know you liked him and all and I know we talked about how Dad's immature enough that if we were a family, it'd be like we were all the same age, but now that I've seen him with Barnaby? They're so awesome together." She paused. "I'm sorry."

Wincing at the words, Karina nodded. "You just had to be able to read my thoughts that one time... I'm glad someone knew, at least. I wish I could have gotten there first, but I didn't. If he's happy, I'm not going to do anything. But the second Barnaby does something wrong-"

"You'll do nothing." Kaede's gaze turned steely. "Look, Dad might be stupid sometimes. But when it comes to love, he's done enough now to get what he wants. He's making it pretty clear that what he wants is Barnaby and Barnaby wants him. It might not be what we'd choose for them, but that doesn't mean it isn't okay."

Karina nodded, playing with a trailing string from her dress. "I know, Kaede. I don't really want to break them apart or anything. I just wish I'd had the courage before to say something. Even if they weren't together, I think I'd still have a while to wait before I felt like I could say what my feelings are. I guess now I just need to spend that same amount of time figuring out how to get over the feelings I do have."

There was a rap on the door, then Barnaby came in with a tray bearing the baklava and two glasses of lemonade. "Here you go, girls." He set the tray down and gestured to the television in the room. "I believe you've got about an hour and a half before the food is ready. If you want to watch a movie, I can keep Kotetsu occupied for a bit before we start to cook."

A faint blush rising to her cheeks, Karina shook her head. "We should be fine just talking. Thanks."

Kaede waved at Barnaby as she picked up more baklava. "Thanks!" As soon as Barnaby had closed the door behind him, she bit into it, making a noise of appreciation. "Mmm... The nice thing about doing the hundred power thing is that it seems to make me burn calories faster which is good because Dad is not great about making things that are really healthy."

Giggling, Karina picked up her glass of lemonade and took a sip. "Yeah, he didn't seem like it." She paused. "Oh! And tell me more about this toenail thing? What happened?"

"Oh! Sorry. Well, the first night I was here..." Kaede proceeded to relate the whole story to Karina, making sure to add in all of the relevant details like how the doctor had been kind of cute and how her dad had looked absolutely ridiculous in Barnaby's pants. When she came to the end, Karina shook her head softly. "Huh? What's up?"

"Just-" Karina sighed dramatically. "I want someone like that. Someone who drops everything for me. I might be a Hero, but you know that's not all I want out of life. Right now, I get to wear that ridiculous outfit all the time and I get fan letters from guys who talk about how they love to watch me on Hero TV but it's all so skeevy. Why can't someone have a NEXT power for matchmaking?"

Kaede tapped her chin. "You know, when I could read your mind that one time... Do you even realize you like Pao-Lin?"

Karina sputtered as she started to swallow a sip of her lemonade. "W-what? But Pao-Lin's just my partner sometimes and-"

"And my dad was just someone you worked with and he and Barnaby just worked together. I mean, if you want my opinion, I think even you and Sky High would be cute together, but even if you don't know exactly how you feel about Pao-Lin, I can tell you that it's more than just friendship. Take some time to think about it?"

Looking shell-shocked, Karina sat back on the love seat. "I mean, I guess?" She smiled softly. "There are people who say that you're more likely to choose relationships that you know aren't going to work out when you're scared of the ones that might."

"Do you wanna just watch TV for a bit until dinner?" Kaede reached over to gently rub Karina's shoulder.

Karina nodded. "Sounds good."

Kaede turned on the TV, flipping channels until she got to something with music, glad to see Karina perk up a little. They watched in companionable silence until another knock came on the door. "Girls, food!"

Karina waved at Kaede. "Just let this song finish. It's one of my favorites!"

When the song ended, they made their way back out toward the dining room. Karina paused as she spotted Barnaby and Kotetsu. She swallowed roughly as she watched Kotetsu rolling up Barnaby's t-shirt sleeve and pressing a soft kiss to the man's shoulder, his rough hands being gentle. She heard them murmuring soft words between them and she pursed her lips, frustrated by the lack of such a thing in her life. As it was, though, it did ease her mind to see the gestures. 

"Stop making out and serve dinner already, guys!" Kaede laughed. "Seriously, though. I'm starving. I'll get used to you guys being all kissy-faced later, but for now? Food!"

Barnaby's cheeks were pink as he moved toward the table. "The food is already here. Please take your seats."

Karina took her seat along with everyone else, finding herself slowly pulled into the pace that everyone else kept as they ate. Her own family could be lively, but they were nothing like this. "I should really come by again soon with Pao-Lin," she said between bites.

Grinning, Kotetsu nodded. "Yeah! She loves my fried rice."

Kaede groaned. "Dad, I need to teach you about pasta."

Barnaby reached over to stroke Kotetsu's hand. "Kaede, you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

"Hey!" Kotetsu frowned. "You guys are so mean to me."

Standing up, Kaede threw her arms around Kotetsu. "It's only 'cause we love you!" Barnaby stood and added his own embrace into the mix. Karina hesitated a long moment until she saw Kaede's fingers motioning her closer. With only a hint of trepidation, she added her own arms into the circle around Kotetsu. 

Kotetsu laughed and his arms came to encircle all of them. When they'd all pulled apart, he smiled. "Well, I don't wanna say that your Grandma breaking her arm was a good thing, but damn am I glad to have you here, Kaede."

Barnaby chuckled. "And I'm happy to have you all as a family." 

"And I'm glad to know you all," Karina added, not liking to feel left out.

Kaede grinned. "Hey, Dad, you know you want to invite Uncle Muramasa back here, right?"

"Him? He can stay in Oriental Town." Kotetsu's expression was stern as he spoke, but he cracked a smile at the end. "We'll go back next week to see everybody, okay?"

"Great!" Kaede dug back into her food with gusto.

Karina stayed silent for the rest of the meal, only choosing to speak up as Kotetsu mentioned dessert. "I should really get going. I do have a gig tonight, after all. If you guys want to come..." She left the unspoken invitation hanging in the air.

Barnaby surprised her by being the one to speak. "Let us know the next time you're playing somewhere that would allow Kaede in."

"O-of course." Karina smiled. "I can see why you wouldn't want to leave her alone."

"It's not me he's worried about," Kaede said while rolling her eyes. "Dad doesn't drink as much if I'm around, right Barnaby?"

Kotetsu rubbed his nose. "Bunny's proved he's fully capable of carrying me."

Laughing, Karina stood and pushed in her chair. "Well, let me know, okay?" She pointed toward the door. "And, I'll let myself out." She exchanged goodbyes with everyone and let herself out, huffing out a deep breath as the door closed behind her. She could begrudge Barnaby all she liked, but it was obvious that Kotetsu was happy with what he was doing and that was a thing she couldn't begrudge. As she started walking, she pulled out her cell phone and sent a message to Pao-Lin, asking her if she'd like to get together the following night. The enthusiasm of the reply she got only a moment later brought a full-fledged smile to her lips.


End file.
